Plenty of points are up for grabs this weekend against Western Michigan

GRAND FORKS — The race for the Penrose Cup is tight.

As of January 15th, three teams sit tied for first place in the NCHC standings (Western Michigan, North Dakota, and Arizona State).

The Fighting Hawks split with ASU last weekend in Tempe, losing 4-1 Friday night but rallying back the next night to win 4-3 in overtime.

Western Michigan is coming off a sweep at home against Alaska Anchorage. The Broncos scored nine goals on the weekend, beating Anchorage 4-1 Friday and 5-2 Saturday.

Like Arizona State, Western Michigan is led by strong goaltending. Fifth-year senior Cameron Rowe leads the Broncos with 10 wins, posting a 1.81 GAA and a .931 SV%. 

But he’s not the only goaltender making headlines for the Broncos.

Freshman Hampton Slukynsky, who won the Clark Cup in the USHL last season with Fargo, has been splitting minutes with Rowe.

Slukynsky is posting similar stats to Rowe, with a 1.83 GAA and a .941 SV%.

Western has only let up three goals or more in a game four times this season to four different teams.  Boston College (4-2 loss), Denver (3-2 OT loss), Michigan Tech (4-3 OT win), and Michigan State (3-1 loss).

Boston College, Denver, and Michigan State are both ranked in the top 10 of the pairwise, and Michigan Tech is tied for second in the CCHA.

Offensively, the Broncos have received scoring from everyone.

Tim Washe, Alex Bump, and Grant Slukynsky each lead the Broncos with 15 points apiece. Sophomore Owen Michaels leads the team in goals with nine.

“They play fast, they play north,” UND coach Brad Berry said. “They’re an offensive team.”

When asked  what UND will need to do to generate scoring, Berry said, “Playing inside the dots and trying to get to the net and getting the puck to the net as well. Playing a simple north, hard game.” 

This weekend will be the Fighting Hawks’ third straight series against a top-20-ranked team. Against ranked teams, UND is 6-7 this season. 

UND has also found themselves playing in some nailbiters. Since playing No. 1 Denver in November, eight of UND’s last 11 games have been decided by one goal or less.

Cameron Berg's return to the lineup has already made a huge impact for UND. He is the only point-per-game player on the team, and last Saturday against Arizona State, he scored a game-tying goal in the final minute to send UND and ASU to overtime. 

“There are some guys who can pure a puck with a lot of velocity and accuracy. He is one of them,” Berry said when asked about Berg’s ability to score. “He puts himself in a situation of the quiet area, moving up and down that flank, and once he does, it's the education part.”

UND does not enjoy playing from behind, but they have proven multiple times they are capable of turning the tides in a game.

“You don’t want the challenge of chasing the game,” Berry said. 

North Dakota likes to play five-on-five hockey. Although they squeaked out a win last Saturday against ASU, they spent 23 minutes of the game in the penalty box. Special teams will again be a huge factor in this weekend's series.

UND had trouble generating scoring on the powerplay against ASU, and it won’t get any easier for the Fighting Hawks this weekend.

The Broncos penalty kill ranks second in the NCAA, running at 91.49%.

UND will have its work cut out for itself against WMU. The race for the Penrose Cup and climb back to the NCAA tournament will begin at 7:07 pm at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.

Game notes

• UND has won its last two matchups against WMU at the Ralph

• Record: North Dakota leads WMU 30-12-1

• UND is 3-0-1 in OT this season